Minimalism Journey: Entry 4 Stop Buying

     This is the HARDEST part of Minimalism for me. I have to learn to stop buying things and be content with what I have. This is one of my major goals for 2021. I've started keeping a written record of everything that I purchase. I've noticed I've cut down on a lot of the silly stuff; getting take out, random trips to the grocery store for one item. (Although COVID has also helped with both of these issues as well.

    Two of the most common purchases for me have been yarn and books. I've cut back a TON on both. Recently, I updated my kindle and I've been amazed with the selection of books I can just get from the library or that are discounted/free on Amazon. As for the yarn, I've only purchased twice since this past summer. Once, I picked up some for some scarves I wanted to work on and the second time was some fiber to spin. I usually spend about $80-$100 every few months on yarn and I'm really proud of myself for not doing that. 

    I've also stopped buying as many clothes. Right now I'm trying to save up for some linen dresses off of Etsy. They cost a lot more than normal dresses, but I see them as a goal I can aim for. Every time I go to order a new piece of clothing, I am able to remind myself that I am saving for these dresses in particular. I think I'm going to order two of them at the end of this month. If I really like them, I'll order a few more at the end of the school year as a little end of COVID teaching/birthday gift for myself. I've also noticed that I enjoy things more when I plan out what I want ahead of time.  

Minimalism Journey: Entry 3 Second Hand

     I have always LOVED antiques and going to second hand stores. I like the idea of having a piece of history in my home. For years I have been hunting down vintage an antique items at second hand stores and yard sales. During Covid, I haven't been trying to buy as much. However, the few things I have found have been great. Most of the items I have found were on Etsy or Thriftbooks. I did go to a local vintage store once when I was visiting my parents. 

    This summer, if Covid is over, I want to go back to a small suburb of the Twin Cities. They have a TON of second hand stores. More specifically, there is a day in the summer that this suburb has a day to celebrate the community. All of the vintage shops have giant yard sales. I went two years ago and I found so many fun items! Right now, I'm mainly looking for clothing or anything Cottagecore. I'm not allowing myself to buy anymore tea cups or glassware. I'm also always looking for books and different items for my classroom. 

Minimalism Journey: Entry 2 Nature Based Materials

     One of my big parts of minimalism is going to things in my life being more natural, fair trade, or some how benefiting my local community where I can. I've liked trying to find new items to buy instead of the less sustainable products I have been using. 

    One big change has been that I have started buying all of my products from The Body Shop. Their goal is to become as sustainable as possible; major ingredients being fair trade, vegan, organic, and cruelty free. For me, fair trade is one of the major aspects I look for. I mean if we can't treat our fellow human beings fairly, can we really do anything else that is sustainable? (I will say that I do not support The Body Shop when it comes to their MLM branch, but that's another post entirely).

    A lot of the materials I have tried to incorporate into my life are more natural as well. For example, the tea kettle I had been using was made in a country known for some "questionable" business practices. The paint had begun to chip off/rust... on the INSIDE of the kettle. It really made me think about what I was drinking and how the kettle was made. I decided to purchase a new one. It was a bit more expensive, but the materials used are much higher quality and I will be able to use this kettle for years to come. I've decided to repurpose my old kettle into becoming a pot for a plant!

    I've also been incorporating a lot of products made out wood into my life. This summer, I wanted to learn how to crochet so I ordered a few crochet hooks from an artist on Etsy. They are just beautiful!!!!! and happen to be made out of tree branches and twigs. This has also led me to purchasing yarn that is made from natural fibers; wool, alpaca, cotton and bamboo if I can, but it's SUPER expensive. Now I understand there might come some issues with that and the treatment of animals. That has slowly become one of my concerns in my knitting practices and fiber work. I would like to start buying my wool/alpaca when I can directly from local farms or try to find some fiber shops that carry cruelty free fibers.

    This really have been a fairly easy step in my journey. I have not all together stopped buying plastic based products, but I have made steps and have purchased less. I honestly can't think of a single use plastic I've purchased in quite some time and that feels really good! If you have any tips for nature based material switches I can start making, please let me know in the comments!

Aesthetic

    This past year I have found a few new aesthetics I have been trying to incorporate into my life! They have done wonders. I don't know what it is, but these aesthetics have made me more aware of the little details in my life and it feels really good. It has made me love and appreciate the little things around me and it has brought me such joy. Here are a few of the specific aesthetic

Cottagecore

Fairy Academia

Light Academia

Dark Academia

Witchy Academia 

    It's hard to explain what I'm feeling about these. Right now it's enough for me to just simply understand that it something for me to be connected to. Take a look at my playlist on Youtube (*linked below) to get the vibes of what I'm feeling. There is also a great Youtuber with some fun videos on many of these aesthetics. (Again link below)

My Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfkJoqn3qIr2q_uBxyF1V2fuAObwwaLFl

Youtuber Sara Baji https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ZoIMX8uC3GdxtBrVwx9yA

Minimalism Journey: Entry 1 Cleaning Out

    For the past year, I've been trying to incorporate some of the concepts of minimalism into my life. This all started when I began watching Marie Kondo's show on Netflix. I realized a lot of my sense of feeling overwhelmed came from the stuff I had. 

    My first step was to start by getting rid of things. I did one major clean out of things over my Winter Break last year. Then roughly each week or every other week is to go through my things and see what I can get rid of. Slowly, I've learned what I can let go of. My biggest issue has been that I have too many things that I give value, especially when it comes to my clothing and crafting... and kitchen things... and books. (So basically everything I know 😅) So far it has been working. Instead of furiously letting go quickly, I've been working my way through things. 

New Book; Crazy Bitchez (Cross Post)

  I think I've started work on a series of short stories. It's going to be a collection of women driven to madness caused by the bull shit they have to go through. I don't know if this will lead to anything, but I feel a sense of catharsis in writing it. I hope that readers will feel the same. I foresee the characters being some antiheros we can all relate to, especially women or more feminine identifying folks. I feel inspired by Gone Girl and other various feme fatals. But instead of being feared, my characters will allow for readers to relate to them, like Breaking Bad or Osarks (the drug one in Alaska, I think... I haven't actually watched either of these shows). I'll post a few of my drafts on here to keep me going. 

*Edit, I've started working on this. I'll be adding some of the slightly less rough drafts on here soon. So far I've got a revenge story, a sociopathic televangelist's wife, Snow White with a twist, and just a blurb about The Mad Woman in Jane Eyre

2021

    There have been a lot of changes to my life this year. Honestly, I think many of them for the better. Times have been trying, but that has also brought me closer to many. I don't think I realized the number of little injuries I have caused or have been given. A lot of bad has happened this year, but I've been surprised at my own resilience. I've tried to slow down. I've tried to be at peace. I've forgiven. I've listened. I've cut ties and strengthen new ones. I've learned to stand up for myself. I've sought out what I deserve and slowly gotten rid of what I don't.

    I'm still a little fearful of the future, but I know I can face it head on.